PRESIDENT Mnangagwa yesterday said Zimbabwe was determined to industrialise and improve the citizens’ living standards, adding that the Russia-Africa Summit had elevated long standing relations between Harare and Moscow to a new high.
The President said Zimbabwe remains ready to make its contribution to the community of nations, through critical fora such as the Russia-Africa partnership.
He said this while addressing the two-day Russia-Africa Summit which ended here yesterday, with 49 Heads of State and Government in attendance.
“In spite of various machinations by our detractors, ‘Zimbabwe is Open for Business’ and continues on a new economic development trajectory,” said President Mnangagwa.
“Zimbabwe is more determined to industrialise, modernise and improve the quality of life of her people. Zimbabwe stands ready to make its contribution in the community of nations, through such fora as this Russia-Africa partnership.
“This summit elevates our long standing association with Russia, at both the bilateral and the continental levels, to a much higher platform of co-operation. This partnership is born out of the need to strengthen our economic and scientific co-operation to harness our collective socio-economic potential.”
President Mnangagwa said development was being hampered by numerous challenges including wars, but with friends such as Russia, Africa has security and the parties must now renew their resolve in order to combat any lingering threats.
“Sustainable socio-economic development at regional and global level is hampered by increasing threats to national regional and global peace and security in the form of civil wars, transnational terrorism and extremism,” he said.
President Mnangagwa also took a swipe at Western countries that imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe, which are causing untold suffering among ordinary citizens.
He said the countries that imposed sanctions were also interfering in Zimbabwe’s domestic affairs.
“Zimbabwe has borne the brunt of the unilateralism, interventionism and external interference in our internal affairs, in the form of a crippling sanctions regime imposed by some Western countries for two decades. These illegal sanctions continue to cause untold suffering to our people and hamper us from the realisation of our full economic growth potential and prosperity,” the President said.
Zimbabwe today joins the rest of the SADC bloc in protesting against the illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe.
President Mnangagwa, who left Russia yesterday evening after the successful Russia-Africa Summit, is expected in the country early this morning ahead of the anti-sanctions march.
He is expected to make a keynote address at the National Sports Stadium where thousands are expected to gather.
